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Article: Computer analyzes cause of chest pain. (Acute Cardiac Ischemia Time-Sensitive Predictive Instrument can lower rate of misdiagnosed heart attacks)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- USA TODAY
- Article date:
- October 1, 1996
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Society for the Advancement of Education. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Diagnosing a heart attack - and deciding how to treat it - is not an exact science. Even with an electrocardiogram (ECG) and a complete medical history, about three percent of emergency room patients who are having heart attacks are misdiagnosed and sent home.
A new piece of software that works with an electrocardiograph may help lower that percentage, as well as cut back dramatically on the unnecessary hospital admissions of ER patients who have chest pain unrelated to their hearts. Studies indicate that two-thirds of people who go to emergency rooms with chest pain are not having heart attacks, but about half of them are hospitalized anyway.
The ...